N/A
N/A
Water faucets that employ a vertical riser are common fixtures in commercial kitchens, especially as part of a pre-rinse unit of a dishwasher line. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,971,520 and 5,624,074 describe a couple of examples. A common type of vertical riser has a tapered male thread that can be screwed into a tapered female thread formed in the main body of the faucet. Installing the riser into these faucet bodies, whether a new installation or a retrofit installation, involves rotation of the riser itself about its vertical axis so that the male threaded end becomes screwed into the female threaded opening in the faucet body that is fixed to the sink. As the entire riser (and whatever hardware that is attached to it) needs to be rotated, this installation can take considerable time and labor. Moreover, the extent of the bend in the upper portion of the riser requires clearance between the riser and the wall next to the sink in order to effect the rotation in a retrofit environment. Else the faucet body must be removed from the sink to screw the riser into the faucet body, a task that entails further time and labor.
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a faucet assembly with a vertical riser that is easier to install both for an initial installation and a retrofit installation.
It is another principal object of the present invention to provide a faucet assembly with a vertical riser that includes a positive locking mechanism to prevent rotation of the riser after installation rather than relying on an interference between flat components to prevent rotation of the riser after installation.
It is a still further principal object of the present invention to provide a faucet assembly with a vertical riser that includes a positive locking mechanism that can be selectively engaged and disengaged to permit selective orientation of the riser relative to the rest of the faucet assembly, both during and after installation.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description that follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
To achieve the objects and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, a faucet assembly is provided with a vertical riser that is easier to install both for an initial installation and a retrofit installation. The faucet assembly has a main faucet body that includes a sidewall defining an axially extending cavity having a bottom that is provided with an opening that communicates with a pressurized water service. A positive locking mechanism is disposed to rest on the bottom of the cavity. A resiliently compressible star lock washer provides one embodiment of a suitable positive locking mechanism. An hollow adapter sleeve is inserted into the cavity on top of the star lock washer and has a tapered threaded axially extending portion in the hollow interior. A sealing member is configured and disposed to provide a water-tight fit between the adapter sleeve and the main faucet body. In one embodiment, the sealing member can take the form of an O-ring that is disposed between the exterior of the adapter sleeve and the surrounding sidewall that defines the cavity to effect a water-tight fit between the adapter sleeve and the sidewall of the main faucet body. A tapered threaded end of the riser is detachably connected to the adapter sleeve by being screwed into the tapered threaded portion of the interior of the adapter sleeve. A retaining nut that is slidably mounted over the riser is screwed onto the main faucet body to confine the adapter sleeve in the cavity and prevent axial movement of the adapter sleeve out of the cavity. The tightening of the retaining nut to the main faucet body applies pressure to the star lock washer via the adapter sleeve. This pressure compresses the star lock washer, which prevents rotation of the main faucet body relative to the adapter sleeve and the riser.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate at least one presently preferred embodiment of the invention as well as some alternative embodiments. These drawings, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention but by no means are intended to be exhaustive of all of the possible manifestations of the invention.